For immediate release
Nov. 16, 2010

MHS Jenkins rededication draws raves

 By David D. Haskell

The renovated Jenkins Auditorium at Malden High School began its second life
 in a most “spectacular” fashion. A concert by past and present students to
rededicate the facility Sunday brought rave reviews.

MHS Principal Dana Brown, Class of 1977, said it was “certainly the most
 spectacular” program in the auditorium since he took the helm in 2003.
Brown beamed as he accepted accolades and congratulations from those
 attending the concert and the reception following, as did George Holland,
 president of the MHS Alumni Association, which sponsored the event along
 with the city of Malden.

Holland, Class of 1955, called the program “tremendous.”
Highlights included the high-energy impressions of celebrity singers by
 Joey “Voices” Noone, a 1990 graduate, and the artistry of 1950 graduate
 Robert Winter, the longtime jazz pianist with the Boston Pops Orchestra.
The concert was part of ceremonies held to rededicate the facility, named
 after the longest-serving principal of the school, Thornton Jenkins.
The auditorium recently was brought back to its former luster in a
 multi-million-dollar renovation project.

Those who attended Sunday’s ceremonies and concert marveled at the
 stunning purple, red and gold colors that restored the auditorium to the Art
 Deco motif of the late 1930s. Whereas the colors in the auditorium had
 become muted over the years, they are now described as “vibrant.”
Mayor Richard Howard, Class of 1970, called the color scheme “dramatic,”
 and said the auditorium will benefit the school and the city “for years to come.”
MHSAA committee member Barbara Tolstrup, Class of 1948, who attended
 numerous events at the auditorium, said she was “absolutely thrilled” at the
 restoration.
Sidney Smith, superintendent of schools, said the venue is “comparable to the
 best that can be found” on college campuses and most cities throughout the
 state. “Happy rebirth day Jenkins,” Smith said. Jacqueline Martin, one of the
 Jenkins family members attending the rededication, said her grandfather would
 have been “thrilled.”

A Power Point presentation tracing Malden High’s evolution since its founding
 more than 150 years ago to the present was arranged by MHS staff member
 Paul Famiglietti and narrated by MHSAA committee member Joanne Iovino,
 Class of 1964. Also performing at the concert were the Robert K. Love Alumni
 Choral Arts Society, under the direction of Richard Freeman, Class of 1959,
 the MHS Play Production Class, directed by Sean Walsh, and the MHS Concert
 Choir, headed by Todd Cole. The MHS Concert and Marching band, directed by
 Matthew Tavares, closed out the program with a rousing rendition of the
 school song, which brought the audience to its feet with voices soaring as
 it joined in.

Many who attended also had a chance to see bronze-like nameplates they had
 purchased that were attached to the seats in the auditorium. More than 200
 were installed in time for the concert, and the “Name a Seat” project will
 continue until all 904 seats have been dedicated, according to MHSAA
 committee member Diane Lind, Class of 1954.

Holland also invited anyone interested in lending their talents and enthusiasm
 to join the MHSAA as it plans future events to benefit the school and its
 Students.

For further information, contact Holland at
 bmw0324@msn.com, or visit maldenhighalumni.com.
  

Contact:
David & Ethel Haskell
781-324-2725
dhaskell2@verizon.net, haskellem@verizon.net